The Register's Editorial: How to cut U.S. prison budget and bring sentencing fairness

From left, Deputy National Security Agency Director Chris Inglis, National Security Agency Director Gen. Keith Alexander, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and Deputy Attorney General James Cole.

At the end of 2011 about 30,000 prison inmates in the United States were serving sentences related to crack cocaine. With prisons accounting for about a third of the U.S. Justice Department's budget, releasing low-level, nonviolent drug offenders makes fiscal sense. It's also the right thing to do.

The 1990s crackdown on crack disproportionately affected African-Americans. One gram of crack cocaine, more commonly used in black communities, was treated the same as 100 grams of powder cocaine for sentencing purposes. In 2010, the Fair Sentencing Act dramatically reduced this sentencing disparity.

The Senate Judiciary Committee recently approved legislation that would make the Fair Sentencing Act retroactive and reduce mandatory minimum sentences for thousands of current prison inmates. This should become law.

In the meantime, President Obama is using his executive powers to move in the right direction. In December, he granted clemency to eight people who had been sentenced to more than 15 years in prison for charges related to crack cocaine. Deputy Attorney General James Cole recently asked defense lawyers to help the government locate prisoners and encourage them to apply for clemency. Prison workers also plan to spread the word.

Instead of getting soft on crime, the Obama administration is getting smart on crime. Congress should do the same.

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The Register's Editorial: How to cut U.S. prison budget and bring sentencing fairness

At the end of 2011 about 30,000 prison inmates in the United States were serving sentences related to crack cocaine. With prisons accounting for about a third of the U.S.